Miter saw

ABSTRACT

A miter saw includes a support mechanism for supporting a miter saw unit relative to a base in such a manner that the miter saw unit is both vertically and laterally pivotable. A position determining mechanism serves to selectively determine the position of the saw unit at any of positions including a vertical position where a saw blade is positioned substantially vertically relative to the base, and leftward and rightward pivoted positions where the saw blade is inclined laterally leftwardly and laterally rightwardly from the vertical position by a predetermined angle, respectively. The position determining mechanism includes movable side stopper members and fixed side stopper members on which the movable side stopper members abut, respectively. The movable side stopper members are mounted on a movable member which pivots laterally with the miter saw unit. The fixed side stopper members are mounted on a fixed member which is non-laterally pivotally movably mounted on the base. The movable side stopper members abut on their corresponding fixed side stopper members when the miter saw unit is at the vertical position and at the leftward and rightward pivoted positions, respectively.

This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/063,291, filed May 18,1993 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,214.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a miter saw, and more particularly to amiter saw in which a miter saw unit supporting a saw blade is pivotableto incline the saw blade relative to a base for placing a work thereon.

2. Description of the Prior Art

A conventional miter saw having a miter saw unit pivotable to incline asaw blade relative to a base is used to obliquely cut a work placed onthe base.

In order to permit such an inclined positioning of the miter saw unit,Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Publication No. 63-49901 proposes amiter saw having a support arm (a hinge member) which verticallypivotally supports a miter saw unit and which is laterally pivotallymounted on a base. The support arm includes an arcuate slot formed inthe lateral pivotal direction. A screw is inserted into the arcuate slotand is engaged with a part of the base, so that the support arm is keptin position at a vertical position or a laterally leftwardly orrightwardly pivoted position.

However, with the prior art construction, since it depends on thetightening force of the screw to keep especially the vertical positionof the support arm with the screw positioned at the central portion ofthe arcuate slot, it is not possible to precisely determine the verticalposition of the support arm. Further, since the adjustment of theposition must be made every time the support arm is returned from thelaterally pivoted position to the vertical position, the adjustmentoperation is very troublesome. Additionally, because of such dependencyon the tightening force of the screw to keep the vertical position, thevertical position may be easily displaced when the screw has beenloosened, and therefore, the vertical position cannot be reliably kept.Furthermore, since the determination of the laterally pivoted positionof the support arm performed through abutment of a shaft of the screw oneither of the ends of the arcuate slot, the laterally pivoted positioncannot be reliably determined and the adjustment of the laterallypivoted position cannot be made.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide amiter saw which includes a miter saw unit pivotable to incline a sawblade and which permits easy and reliable determination of a verticalposition of the miter saw unit as well as of both laterally pivotedpositions of the same.

According to the present invention, there is provided a miter sawcomprising:

a base on which a work is placed;

a miter saw unit supporting a saw blade and having a motor for rotatablydriving the saw blade;

a support mechanism for supporting the miter saw unit relative to thebase in such a manner that the miter saw unit is both vertically andlaterally pivotable;

a position determining mechanism for selectively determining theposition of the miter saw unit at any of the positions including avertical position where the saw blade is positioned substantiallyvertically relative to the base, and leftward and rightward pivotedpositions where the saw blade is inclined laterally leftwardly andlaterally rightwardly from the vertical position by a predeterminedangle, respectively;

the position determining mechanism including movable side stoppermembers and fixed side stopper members on which the movable side stoppermembers abut, respectively, the movable side stopper members beingmounted on a movable member which pivots laterally with the miter sawunit, the fixed side stopper members being mounted on a fixed memberwhich is non-laterally pivotally movably mounted on the base, themovable side stopper members abutting on their corresponding fixed sidestopper members when the miter saw unit is at the vertical position andat the leftward and rightward pivoted positions, respectively.

The invention will become more apparent from the appended claims and thedescription as it proceeds in connection with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view, with a part broken away, of a miter saw accordingto a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view, with a part broken away, of the mitersaw;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a part of a miter saw unit ofthe miter saw;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a support mechanism of the mitersaw unit;

FIG. 5 is a rear view of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view showing the relationship between astopper lever and a first and second pair of stopper bolts of thesupport mechanism;

FIGS. 7 to 9 are views similar to FIG. 6 but showing differentoperations;

FIG. 10 is a side view of a miter saw according to a second embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a plan view of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a front view, with a part broken away, of FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is a plan view of a base including a turntable shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 14 is a sectional view of a holder and a vice device shown in FIG.10;

FIG. 15 is a vertical sectional view of a support member shown in FIG.10;

FIG. 16 is a sectional view taken along line XVI--XVI in FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a sectional view taken along line XVII--XVII in FIG. 15;

FIG. 18 is a view similar to FIG. 16 but showing the support memberpivoted in the rightward direction;

FIG. 19 is a view similar to FIG. 16 but showing the support memberpivoted in the leftward direction;

FIG. 20 is an enlarged view of a connecting portion between the supportmember and the miter saw unit shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 21 is sectional view of a connecting portion of a support memberand a base of a miter saw according to a third embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 22 is a sectional view taken along line XXII--XXII in FIG. 21;

FIG. 23 is a sectional view taken along line XXIII--XXIII in FIG. 21;

FIG. 24 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 22 but showing the supportmember pivoted in the rightward direction; and

FIG. 25 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 22 but showing the supportmember pivoted in the leftward direction.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(FIRST EMBODIMENT)

A first embodiment of the present invention will now be explained withreference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a slide-type miter saw 1 generallyincluding a base 2 and a miter saw unit 21 mounted thereon. The base 2is served to place a work (not shown) thereon. The miter saw unit 21 isserved to support a circular saw blade 36 and a motor 41 which drivesthe saw blade 36.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the base 2 has a flat configuration andincludes a substantially disc-like turntable 3. The turntable 3 isrotatably supported by the base 2 through a vertical support shaft 4mounted on the central portion of the base 2. Thus, the turntable 3 isrotatable within a horizontal plane. The rotation of the turntable 3 is,however, limited within a predetermined angle. Work support tables 5 areintegrally formed on both lateral sides of the base 2. Each of the worksupport tables 5 has an upper surface which is positioned insubstantially the same plane as an upper surface of the turntable 3. Afence 6 extends between the work support tables 5 over the turntable 3and is positioned on the rear side (left side in FIG. 1) of the worksupport tables 5. A plate 8 is mounted on the turntable 3 and extends ina diametrical direction of the turntable 3. The plate includes a cut-outrecess 7 which is adapted to permit intrusion of the saw blade 36. Asupport arm 9 extends forwardly outwardly from the periphery of theturntable 3 and is mounted below one end of the plate 8 which extendsbeyond the periphery of the turntable 3. A support rod 10 is rotatablymounted on the lower portion of the support arm 9 and includes a grip 11at its forward end. The support rod 10 includes, at its rear portion, athreaded portion 10a which is in engagement with a correspondingthreaded hole formed on a protrusion 3a extending downwardly from theturntable 3. The rear end of the support rod 10 is opposed to a wallportion 13 formed on the base 2. A substantially U-shaped leaf spring 12is interposed between the rear end of the support rod 10 and the wallportion 13. The wall portion 13 has an arcuate configurationcorresponding substantially to a locus of rotation of the turntable 3.

A bracket 14 is integrally formed with the peripheral portion of theturntable 3 at a position rearwardly of the plate 8. A support member 15which supports the miter saw unit 21 is pivotally mounted on the bracket14 in such a manner that the support member 15 is pivoted laterallyleftwardly and laterally rightwardly from a vertical positionperpendicular to the upper surface of the base 2.

As shown in FIG. 4, a cylindrical support shaft 16 is formed with therear end of the bracket 14. The support member 15 includes a cylindricalboss portion 15a which is rotatably fitted on the support shaft 16 ofthe bracket 14.

A mechanism to releasably fix the position of the support member 15relative to the bracket 14 is provided and includes a support bolt 17and a nut 17a for engagement with the support bolt 17. The support bolt17 is inserted through the central portion of the boss portion 15a andthrough the central portion of the support shaft 16. One end of thesupport bolt 17 extends outwardly from the boss portion 15a and includesa knob for operation by an operator. The other end of the support bolt17 extends outwardly from the support shaft 16 and is in engagement withthe nut 17a. The nut 17a is partly received by a recess 17b which isformed on the turntable 3 and has a configuration correspondingsubstantially to a half of the nut 17a, so that the nut 17a is preventedfrom rotation relative to the turntable 3.

A slide bar 18 is horizontally slidably mounted on the upper portion ofthe support member 15. More specifically, the slide bar 18 is slidablyreceived within a tubular bearing 19a which is fixedly fitted within acorresponding tubular support formed on the upper portion of the supportmember 15. Here, the tubular bearing 19a is constructed as an angularball spline. Thus, a pair of longitudinal recesses (not shown) areformed on the inner surface of the tubular bearing 19a at positionsdiametrically opposed to each other, and a pair of longitudinal recesses19c corresponding to the longitudinal recesses of the tubular bearing19a are formed on the outer surface of the slide bar 18. A plurality ofbearing balls 19b are received within the longitudinal recesses of thetubular bearing 19a on one side and are received within the longitudinalrecesses 19c of the slider bar 18 on the other side. The slide bar 18 istherefore slidable in the longitudinal direction relative to the tubularbearing 19a with the aid of bearing balls 19b but is prevented fromrotation relative to the tubular bearing 19a. A cap 20 is mounted on therear end of the upper portion of the support member 15 so as to coverthe rear end of the tubular bearing 19a.

A forked bracket-like hinge member 22 is fixed to the forward end of theslide bar 18 which extends from the support member 15. The hinge member22 vertically pivotally supports the miter saw unit 21 and includes adamper ring 23 disposed at the rear end for abutment on the forward endof the upper portion of the support member 15. A first bellows member 24is disposed between the hinge member 22 and the upper portion of thesupport member 15 and protects the forward part of the slide bar 18exposed to the outside. Mounting rings 25a and 25b are interposedbetween the hinge member 22 and the first bellows member 24 and betweenthe first bellows member 24 and the support member 15, respectively. Astopper member 26 having substantially L-shaped configuration as shownin FIG. 1 is screwed on the rear end of the slide bar 18 so as to limitthe forward movement of the slide bar 18 through abutment on the covermember 20. A second bellows member 27 is disposed between the stoppermember 26 and the cover member 20 so as to protect the rear part of theslide bar 18 exposed to the outside. Mounting members 28a and 28b areprovided for mounting the second bellows member 27 on the stopper member26 and the cover member 20, respectively (see FIGS. 1 and 4). A bolt 29is screwed into the upper part of the support member 15 in a radialdirection, so that the bolt 29 abuts on the outer surface of the slidebar 18 so as to fix the slide bar 18 relative to the support member 15when tightened.

The miter saw unit 21 includes, at its base portion, a boss 2a which ispivotally supported by the hinge member 22 through a support shaft 30 asshown in FIG. 5. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the miter saw unit 21 has ablade case 31 which covers substantially the upper half of the saw blade36. A gear case 32 is integrally formed with the blade case 31 andextends laterally obliquely therefrom at an angle of 45° relative to thesaw blade 36. A spindle 33 is disposed within the lower portion of thegear case 32 and is rotatably supported by a bearing 34a and a bearing34b which is mounted on the gear case 32 through a retainer 35. Thespindle 33 is positioned in parallel with the upper surface of theturntable 3 when the miter saw unit 21 is at a vertical position wherethe saw blade 36 is positioned perpendicular to the upper surface of thebase 2 or the turntable 3. One end of the spindle 33 extends into theblade case 31, and the saw blade 36 is detachably mounted on the one endof the spindle 33 through a pair of mounting flanges 37a and 37b and abolt 38 which is operable to clamp the saw blade 36 between the mountingflanges 37a and 37b. A bevel gear 39 having a chip angle of 45° andacting as a reduction gear is fixedly mounted on the spindle 33 at aposition within the gear case 32.

The gear case 32 includes an open upper end on which a motor housing 40is fixedly mounted to extend in the same direction as the gear case 32.The motor 41 is disposed within the motor housing 40 and includes amotor shaft 42. The motor shaft 42 extends into the gear case 32 and isrotatably supported by the gear case 32 through a bearing 43. A spurgear 42a is integrally formed with the motor shaft 42 and is positionedabove the bevel gear 39 so as to engage the same. Thus, the motor 41 aswell as the motor shaft 42 is disposed upwardly of the spindle 33 and isinclined upwardly relative to the spindle 33 at an angle of 45°. Aplurality of holes 39a are formed on one end surface of the bevel gear39 and are spaced from each other in a circumferential direction. A lockpin 39b is movably mounted on the gear case 32 for engagement witheither of the holes 39a, so that the rotation of the spindle 33 can bepositively stopped when the lock pin 39b engages either of the holes39a, so that the saw blade 36 can be exchanged to another one.

As shown in FIG. 1, a compression spring 45 is interposed between thebase portion of the miter saw unit 21 and the bracket 44 protrudingforwardly from the hinge member 22, so that the miter saw unit 21 isnormally urged upwardly. As shown in FIG. 4, a stopper bolt 46 ismounted on the base portion of the miter saw unit 21 for abutting on astopper member 47 which protrudes forwardly from the hinge member 22.The stopper bolt 46 determines the downward stroke end of the miter sawunit 21 through abutment on the stopper member 47 and is operable by theoperator to change the downward stroke end. A safety cover 48 isrotatably mounted on the blade case 31 around the same axis as the sawblade 36 or the spindle 33 so as to uncover the half of the saw blade 36exposed from the blade case 31. The safety cover 48 is operablyconnected to an operation link 49 which is pivotally mounted on thebracket 44 of the hinge member 22 in such a manner that the safety cover48 rotates to uncover the saw blade 36 as the miter saw unit 21 is moveddownwardly from the uppermost position.

Returning to FIG. 4, a recess 50 is formed on the front portion of theupper half of the bracket 14 and is opened at its upper portion. Asshown in FIG. 6, the recess 50 has an arcuate bottom surface 50a. Afirst pair of stopper bolts 51a and 51b are screwed into the upper halfof the bracket 14 and have one ends extending upwardly from the bottomsurface 50a. The stopper bolts 51a and 51b are positioned on theopposite sides of a vertical plane which passes through the central axisof the support bolt 17. The stopper bolts 51a and 51b are inclinedobliquely relative to the vertical plane by an angle of 45°,respectively. A second pair of stopper bolts 52a and 52b are screwedinto the lower half of the bracket 14 and extend obliquely downwardlyrelative to the vertical plane at an angle of 45°, respectively, on theopposite sides of the vertical plane. A stopper lever 53 is pivotallymounted on a front surface of the middle portion of the support member15 and includes, at its upper portion, a boss 53a which is rotatablysupported by the support member 15 through a support pin 54. The stopperlever 53 includes a stopper portion 53b positioned within the recess 50.The lower end of the stopper portion 53b can be selectively positionedfor abutment on the upper end of one of the pair of the stopper bolts51a and 51b through pivotal movement of the stopper lever 53. Anextension 53c is integrally formed with the front portion of the stopperportion 53b for operation by the operator. The longitudinal axis of thesupport pin 54 is positioned on the vertical plane which passes throughthe central axis of the support bolt 17. The boss 53a of the stopperlever 53 slidably contacts the front surface of the middle portion ofthe support member 15. Further the boss 53a includes a longitudinal hole55 in which an engaging ball 56 is partly received. The engaging ball 56is biased toward the front surface of the support member 15 by a spring57. On the other hand, the front surface of the support member 15includes engaging recesses 58a and 58b which are leftwardly andrightwardly displaced from the vertical plane around the axis of thesupport pin 54 at an angle of 45°, respectively. Thus, the stopper lever53 can be kept in position where the stopper portion 53b is in alignmentwith either of the stopper bolts 51a and 51b when the engaging ball 56is brought into engagement with either of the engaging recesses 58a and58b. A stopper member 59 having substantially rectangular configurationin section is integrally formed with the boss portion 15a of the supportmember 15 and extends horizontally within the lower part thereof. Theend portion of the stopper member 59 protrudes into the bracket 14 forabutment on either of the second pair of the stopper bolts 52a and 52b.The stopper member 59 is positioned on the vertical plane which passesthrough the central axis of the support bolt 17 and that of the supportpin 54.

The operation of the above embodiment will now be explained inconnection with the operation for inclining the miter saw unit 21laterally leftwardly or laterally rightwardly relative to the verticalposition as well as the oblique cutting operation through movement ofthe miter saw unit 21 in the horizontal direction relative to the base2.

Firstly, the support bolt 17 is loosened to some extent to permitlateral pivotal movement of the support member 15 relative to thebracket 14. As the support member 15 is pivoted rightwardly in FIG. 2around the bracket 14, the miter saw unit 21 is moved together with thesupport member 15 to be inclined from the vertical position shown by asolid line to a rightward position shown by a chain line in FIG. 2 wherethe saw blade 36 is inclined at an angle of 45° relative to the verticalplane. At this stage, the stopper portion 53b is moved away from theleft side stopper bolt 51a of the first pair and lies substantiallyhorizontally while left side surface of the stopper member 59 abuts onthe left side stopper bolt 52a of the second pair. Further, the motorhousing 40 accommodating the motor 41 lies horizontally at a positionabove the turntable 3 and the fence 6 since the longitudinal axis of themotor housing 40 as well as that of the motor 41 and the motor shaft 42obliquely extends relative to the saw blade 36 by the angle of 45°.

The support bolt 17 is thereafter tightened so as to fix the supportmember 15 to the bracket 14.

The motor 41 is started to rotate the spindle 38 together with the sawblade 36. Thus, as the motor shaft 42 is rotated, the bevel gear 39which is in engagement with the gear 42a of the motor shaft 42 isrotated, so that the saw blade 36 is rotated with the spindle 38. Theoperator thereafter pulls the miter saw unit 21 on his side, with theaid of the bearing cylinder 19a formed as the angular ball spline, sothat the slide bar 18 is drawn toward the operator relative to thesupport member 15 in a rightward direction in FIG. 1. As the operatorpresses the miter saw unit 21 downwardly to pivot the miter saw unit 21around the support shaft 30 of the hinge member 22 so as to move themiter saw unit 21 from its uppermost position to the lowermost position,the safety cover 48 is moved by the operational link 49 to uncover theexposed half of the saw blade 36 in response to movement of the mitersaw unit 21. Consequently, the operation can be performed to cut a workwhich is placed on the turntable 3 and is fixed in position. Here, themovement of the slide bar 18 relative to the support member 15 isstopped through abutment of the stopper member 26 on the cover member20. Further, the lowermost position of the miter saw unit 21 isdetermined by the stopper bolt 46 which abuts on the stopper member 47.When the miter saw unit 21 reaches the lowermost position, the lowerpart of the saw blade 36 extends downwardly from the plate 8 through thecut-out recess 7 formed therein. As for the motor housing 40accommodating the motor 41, since the longitudinal axis of the motorhousing 40 is inclined relative to the saw blade 36 by the angle of 45°as described above, the motor housing 40 lies horizontally above theturntable 3 and the fence 6 and is spaced therefrom, so that the motorhousing 40 may not abut on the work to be cut.

When the operator pushes the miter saw unit 21 together with the hingemember 22 away from him while keeping the miter saw unit 21 at thelowermost position, the slide bar 18 is moved to return to the left inFIG. 1, so that the oblique cutting operation of the work can beperformed.

When the operator releases the downward pressing force applied to themiter saw unit 21 after completion of the cutting operation, the mitersaw unit 21 is returned to the uppermost position by the biasing forceof the compression spring 45, and the safety cover 48 is also returnedto cover the exposed half of the saw blade 36 in response to such amovement of the miter saw unit 21.

If the operator wishes to return the miter saw unit 21 from the aboverightwardly inclined position to the vertical position, the operatormoves the miter saw unit 21 to pivot in a reverse direction or the leftside direction. When the miter saw unit 21 reaches the verticalposition, the stopper portion 53b of the stopper lever 53 again abuts onthe stopper bolt 51a of the first pair, so that the miter saw can beoperated to vertically cut the work. At this stage, the stopper member59 of the support member 15 is moved away from the stopper bolt 52a ofthe second pair and is positioned at a middle position between thestopper bolts 52a and 52b.

If the operator wishes to leftwardly incline the miter saw unit 21 fromthe vertical position, he moves the stopper lever 53 to the position forabutment on the stopper bolt 51b of the first pair as shown in FIG. 8.The operator thereafter loosens the support bolt 17 to permit movementof the support member 15 relative to the bracket 14. Then, the operatormoves the miter saw unit 21 to pivot the support member 15 relative tothe bracket 14 in a leftward direction in FIG. 2. When the saw blade 36reaches a position inclined at the angle of 45° relative to the verticalplane, the stopper portion 53b of the stopper lever 53 is moved awayfrom the right side stopper bolt 1b of the first pair and liessubstantially horizontally, while the right side of the stopper member59 of the support member 15 abuts on the right side stopper bolt 52b ofthe second pair as shown in FIG. 9. At this stage, the longitudinal axisof the motor housing 41 as well as that of the motor 40 extendsvertically and the motor housing 41 is kept to be spaced from theturntable 3 and the fence 6.

The support bolt 17 is again tightened to fix the support member to thebracket 14, so that the oblique cutting operation on the opposite teside can be performed. Particularly, in this operation, an inked linedrawn on the work can be easily recognized by the operator, so that thecutting operation can be reliably performed.

If the operator wishes to return the miter saw unit 21 from theleftwardly inclined position to the vertical position, the operatorpivots the miter saw unit 21 in a reverse direction. When the miter sawunit 21 reaches the vertical position, the stopper portion 53b of thestopper lever 53 abuts on the left side stopper bolt 51a of the firstpair, so that the vertical cutting operation can be again performed. Atthis stage, the stopper member 59 of the support member 15 is moved awayfrom the right side stopper bolt 52b of the second pair and ispositioned at the middle position between the stopper bolts 52a and 52bas shown in FIG. 8.

Meanwhile, the position of the stopper portion 53b of the stopper lever53 is kept at either the positions for abutment on the first pair of thestopper bolts 51a and 51b through engagement of the engaging ball 56with the corresponding engaging recess 58a or 58b.

As described above, the miter saw 1 of the above embodiment can be usedfor the oblique cutting operation by laterally inclining the miter sawunit 21 in either of leftward and rightward directions, and therefore,the oblique cutting operation for both opposite sides can be easilyperformed for a work having a deformed profile in section as well as awork having a longer length.

Although the operation has been described in connection with the cuttingoperation by moving the miter saw unit 21 in the horizontal direction, anormal cutting operation can be also performed by moving the miter sawunit 21 to simply pivot downwardly. Further, since each of the firstpair of the stopper bolts 51a and 51b as well as each of the second pairof the stopper bolts 52a and 51b can be operated to change the positionof the end portion, the inclined position of the saw blade 36 in bothleftward and rightward directions as well as the vertical position canbe easily adjusted and can be easily determined.

Additionally, the operation for fixing the support member 15 to thebracket 14 and for releasing the same can be performed at a position onthe pivotal axis of the support member 15 through the support bolt 17and the nut 17a. Therefore, the construction becomes simple and thefixing operation can be reliably performed without causing unstablesupport of the support member 15.

Further, with such a construction, cutting chips or dust may not enterthe pivotal support portion of the support member 15, and the cuttingchips or the dust may be stained to the stopper member 59 or the secondpair of the stopper bolts 52a and 52b for abutment on the stopper member59 since they are disposed within the support shaft 16 of the bracket14.

(SECOND EMBODIMENT)

A second embodiment of the present invention will now be explained withreference to FIGS. 10 to 21.

Referring to FIGS. 10 to 12, there is shown a side view, a plan view anda front view, respectively, of a miter saw 101 according to the secondembodiment.

The miter saw 101 includes a base 102 on which a work is placed. A mitersaw unit 104 supports a circular saw blade 215 and is verticallypivotally and laterally pivotally mounted on the base 102 through asupport member 103. The miter saw unit 104 is integrally formed with amotor housing 105 which accommodates a motor 116 for driving the sawblade 215. As with the first embodiment, the longitudinal axis of themotor 116 as well as that of the motor housing 105 is inclined relativeto the saw blade by an angle of 45°, so that the motor housing 105extends obliquely upwardly relative to the miter saw unit 104.

A turntable 106 is mounted on the central portion of the base 102 and isrotatable within a horizontal plane relative to the base 102. Therotation of the turntable 106 is limited within a predetermined angle.The turntable 106 includes a plate 107 disposed in a diametricaldirection of the turntable 106 and partly extends laterally outwardlytherefrom. A protrusion 108 is formed on the turntable so as to supportthe extended portion of the plate 107. As shown in FIG. 13, a pluralityof parallel lines 109 are drawn on the plate 107 in the longitudinaldirection thereof and are served as reference lines for positioning ofan inked line drawn on the work. In the state shown in FIG. 13, acut-out recess is not as yet formed on the plate 107.

An operational rod 111 is rotatably mounted on the lower part of theprotrusion 108 and includes a grip 110 mounted on one end thereof. Thegrip 110 extends outwardly from the protrusion 108 for operation by anoperator to turn the turntable 106. As the operator rotates theoperational rod 111, the operational rod 111 is moved away from andtoward a part of the outer wall of the base 102 by means of a threadmechanism (not shown) provided between the operational rod 111 and theprotrusion 108, so that the turntable 106 can be fixed relative to thebase 102 at any desired rotational position.

The base 102 includes a pair of work support tables 112 and 113 whichare opposed to each other in a diametrical direction of the turntable106 which is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the plate107. The support tables 112 and 113 are disposed adjacent the peripheralportion of the turntable 106. The upper surfaces of the work supporttables 112 and 113 are positioned in the same plane as the upper surfaceof the turntable 106 to form a work placing surface. A fence 114 extendsbetween the work support tables 112 and 113 over the turntable 106 forabutment of the lateral surface of the work thereon.

As shown in FIG. 11, an adjustable holder 115 is additionally providedfor supporting the work and is disposed at the outer end of the worksupport table 112 which is positioned on the same side as the motorhousing 105 with respect to the miter saw unit 104. A vertical vicedevice 116 is provided for vertically clamping the work placed on theholder 115.

The construction of the holder 115 and that of the vice device 116 willnow be explained with reference to FIGS. 11, 12 and 14.

A substantially U-shaped guide member 117 is detachably mounted on theend portion of the work support base 112 through a thumbscrew 118 andincludes a pair of parallel linear portions 117a which extend in aradial direction of the turntable 106. The holder 115 includes a pair ofinsertion holes 115a for receiving the linear portions 117a,respectively, so that the holder 115 is slidably movable along thelinear portions 117a. A thumbscrew 119 is screwed into the forwardportion of the holder 115 for fixing the position of the holder 115relative to the linear portions 117a. A pair of vertical support legs121 are mounted on the bottom 115b of the holder 115 and includethreaded shaft portions 220 in engagement with the bottom 115b,respectively, so that the vertical position of the holder 115 can beadjusted.

The vice device 116 includes a vertical support shaft 122 which extendsvertically upwardly from the rear portion of the holder 115. The lowerpart of the vertical support shaft 122 is inserted into a correspondinginsertion hole 123 having a bottom end and formed on the rear portion ofthe holder 115. The vertical support shaft 122 is detachably fixed tothe holder 115 through a thumbscrew 124. A horizontal support shaft 125is detachably mounted on the upper end of the vertical support shaft 122through a thumbscrew 126. The horizontal support shaft 125 includes oneend extending to a position above substantially the central portion ofthe holder 115. A tightening screw is vertically threadably engaged withthe one end of the horizontal support shaft 126. The tightening screwincludes, at its upper end, a knob 128 for rotational operation by theoperator. Further, the tightening screw 127 includes, at its lower end,an abutting member 129, for abutment on the upper surface of a work Wshown by a dotted line. Thus, upon tightening of the tightening screw127, the work W is pressed on the upper surface of the holder 115through the abutting member 129.

Here, the vice device 116 can be used for holding the work on bothlateral sides of the turntable 106 by inserting the vertical supportshaft 122 into any of inserting holes 130 which correspond to theinserting hole 123 and which are formed on the fence 114, respectively.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 15, the support member 103 is mounted on abracket for supporting the miter saw unit 104 relative to the base 102.The bracket 131 is integrally formed with the rear end of the turntable106 and is disposed on the opposite side of the protrusion 108 of theplate 107. The bracket 131 includes a substantially cylindrical supportportion 132 which is opened at its rear end. A support shaft 133 isdisposed centrally within the support portion 132 and extends rearwardlyfrom the opened end of the support portion 132. The support shaft 133 isfixed to the support portion 132 not to rotate relative thereto througha pin 134. The support member 103 includes, at its lower portion, acylindrical rotational portion 135 having a configuration correspondingto the support portion 132 and opened at its forward end. The openedforward end of the rotational portion 135 is rotatably fitted on theopened rear end of the support portion 132 in such a manner that therotational axis of the rotational portion 135 is positioned insubstantially the same plane as the upper surface of the base 102 andextends substantially in parallel with the longitudinal direction of theplate 107. The rear portion of the support shaft 133 extends outwardlyfrom the rotational portion 135 through a sleeve 136 which is integrallyformed with the rotational portion 135 and which is disposedtherewithin. The outwardly extended end of the support shaft 133includes a threaded portion 133a which is in engagement with a nut 137.A flat washer 138 and a spring washer 13g are interposed between the nut137 and the rear end of the rotational portion 135. A turning handle 141includes a handle shaft 142 which is secured to the nut 137 through ascrew 140. Thus, as the handle 141 is turned to move the nut 137forwardly, the spring washer 139 is pressed on the rear end of therotational portion 135, so that the rotational portion 135 can be fixedin position relative to the support portion 132.

A mechanism is provided between the support portion 132 and therotational portion 135 for determining the position of the rotationalportion 135 relative to the support portion 132 or for determining thevertical position and leftwardly and rightwardly inclined positions ofthe miter saw unit 104. The construction of this mechanism will now beexplained with reference to FIGS. 16 to 19.

Referring to FIG. 16 which is a sectional view taken along line XVI--XVIin FIG. 15, there is shown a first stopper bolt 142, a second stopperbolt 143 and a third stopper bolt 144 which are in engagement with thesupport portion 132 of the bracket 131. The first stopper bolt 142 isdisposed substantially directly above the support shaft 133. The secondand the third stopper bolts 143 and 144 are displaced from the firststopper bolt 142 by an angle of 45° in a counterclockwise direction(direction B) and a clockwise direction (direction A), respectively. Thesecond and the third stopper bolts 143 and 144 are positioned atsubstantially the same level as the support shaft 33 when the supportmember 103 is positioned at the vertical position where the saw blade215 of the miter saw unit 104 is positioned vertically relative to thebase 102. Each of the first to third stopper bolts 142 to 144 has a headportion extending outwardly from the support portion 132 and an endportion extending inwardly of the support portion 132.

A stopper mechanism 146 is mounted on the rotational portion 135 andincludes a stopper pin 145 which abuts on the end portion of the firststopper bolt 142 when the support member 103 is positioned at thevertical position as shown in FIG. 16. The stopper mechanism 146 furtherincludes an operational knob 148 which is operable by the operator andis received within a recess 147 formed on the outer wall of therotational portion 135 as shown in FIG. 17, a sectional view taken alongline XVII--XVII in FIG. 15. The operational knob 148 includes anoperational shaft 149 having one end fixed to the operational knob 148and having the other end inserted into the rotational portion 135 so asto extend to the inside thereof. The other end of the operational shaft149 is enlarged by forming an axial slit 149a and includes, at itsextremity, a peripheral collar 149b formed thereon, so that theoperational shaft 149a is prevented from being removed from therotational portion 135.

Further, as shown in FIG. 17, a lever 150 having one end to which thestopper pin 145 is fixed is disposed within the rotational portion 135at a position adjacent the operational shaft 149 of the operational knob148. The lever 150 is pivotally supported by a support pin 151 which isfixedly received by a corresponding inserting hole formed on therotational portion 135 as shown in FIG. 15. A torsion coil spring 152 isfitted on the support pin 151 and has one end in abutment on the innerwall of a part of the rotational portion 135 which forms the recess 147.The other end of the torsion coil spring 152 is in abutment on a bottomsurface 153a of an engaging recess 153 formed on the lever 150. Thebottom surface 153a extends substantially vertically relative to aradial direction of the support pin 51, and the other end of the torsioncoil spring 152 abuts on the end portion of the bottom surface 153a inthe clockwise direction around the support pin 151 as shown in FIG. 17.Thus, the lever 150 is normally biased by the torsion coil spring 152 inthe counterclockwise direction around the support pin 151, so that, inthe state shown in FIG. 16, the stopper pin 145 abuts on an abuttingsurface 132a formed on the inner wall of the supporting portion 132adjacent a mounting portion of the first stopper bolt 142 in thecounterclockwise direction (direction A), and therefore, the stopper pin145 is kept in opposed relationship with the end portion of the firststopper bolt 142.

Further, On the inner wall of the support portion 132, a guide surface132b is formed between the mounting portion of the first stopper bolt142 and that of the second stopper bolt 143. The guide surface 132b iscontinuous with the abutting surface 132a via a stepped portion in theclockwise direction and is positioned radially inwardly of the abuttingsurface 132a. The function of the guide surface 132b will be describedlater.

As described above, the motor housing 105 accommodating the motor 216extends laterally obliquely relative to the miter saw unit 104, andtherefore, in the state of the vertical position shown in FIG. 16, thegravity of the motor 216 as well as that of the motor housing 105produces a moment to pivot the support member 103 in the clockwisedirection (direction A). Thus, in the state shown in FIG. 16, therotational portion 135 is forced by the moment applied to the supportmember 103 in the clockwise direction so as to bring the stopper pin 145of the lever 150 to abut on the end portion of the first stopper bolt42. Thus, the support member 103 is determined to be verticallypositioned.

As shown in FIG. 16, the lever 150 includes an abutting surface 154formed on the side opposed to the end portion of the operational shaft149 of the operational knob 148. As the operator pushes the operationalknob 148 into the recess 147, the end portion of the operational shaft149 moves to abut on the abutting surface 154 of the lever 150, so thatthe lever 150 is pivoted against the biasing force of the torsion coilspring 152 in the clockwise direction around the support pin 151. Thus,the stopper pin 145 is positioned not to abut on the end portion of thefirst stopper bolt 142 as shown by dotted line in FIG. 16, andtherefore, the support member 103 can be pivoted from the verticalposition in the clockwise direction (direction A) in FIG. 16.

As shown in FIG. 15, a stopper member 155 is formed integrally with therotational portion 135 and is disposed within the lower part thereof.The stopper member 155 extends into the support portion 132 and includeslateral surfaces 155a and 155b which are positioned on substantially thesame circumferential line as that passing through the end portions ofthe second and the third stopper bolts 143 and 144. Thus, when thesupport member 103 is pivoted in the clockwise direction (direction A),the lateral surface 155a may abut on the end portion of the secondstopper bolt 143. On the other hand, when the support member 103 ispivoted in the counterclockwise direction (direction B), the lateralsurface 155b may abut on the end portion of the third stopper bolt 144.Consequently, the pivotal movement of the support member 103 can belimited to a determined angle for both leftward and rightwarddirections.

A torsion coil spring 158 is fitted on a cylindrical spacer 157 which isinterposed between the sleeve 136 of the rotational member 135 and asleeve 156 integrally formed with the support portion 132 for receivingthe support shaft 133 (see FIG. 15). As shown in FIG. 16, end portions158a and 158b of the torsion coil spring 158 intersect each other andare turned in J-shaped configurations in opposite directions to eachother. The end portions 158a and 158b extend to a position adjacent theinner wall of the support portion 132 so as to receive the stoppermember 155 therebetween. The inner wall of the support portion 132includes an engaging protrusion 159 having substantially the same widthas the stopper member 155. The engaging protrusion 159 is disposedbetween the second stopper bolt 143 and the third stopper bolt 144 at aposition displaced by a short distance from the middle position towardthe third stopper bolt 144. In the vertical state of the support member103 shown in FIG. 16, the end portion 158a of the torsion coil spring158 positioned on the side of the clockwise direction of the stoppermember 155 abuts on the lateral surface 155a of the stopper member 155,while the end portion 158b abuts one lateral side of the engagingprotrusion 159 positioned in the counterclockwise direction. Thus, thetorsion coil spring 158 biases the rotational portion 135 in thecounterclockwise direction (direction B) in FIG. 16 through the stoppermember 155. This biasing force may counterbalance the moment produced bythe motor 216 and the motor housing 105 in the direction A, so that thevertical position of the support member 103 can be maintained in stablecondition. The moment produced by the biasing force of the torsion coilspring 158 is determined to be slightly smaller than the moment of themotor 216 and the motor housing 105 when the support member 103 ispositioned at the vertical position. Further, the moment produced by thebiasing force of the torsion spring 158 is determined to be slightlysmaller than the moment of the whole miter saw unit 104 when the mitersaw unit 104 or the support member 103 is at the laterally pivotedposition.

When the rotational portion 135 is rotated in the direction B from thevertical position shown in FIG. 16 by an angle corresponding to theangular displacement between the stopper member 155 and the engagingprotrusion 159, both end portions 158a and 158b are brought in abutmenton their corresponding lateral surfaces 155a and 155b of the stoppermember 155, respectively, so that no more biasing force is applied tothe rotational portion 135. This rotational position of the rotationalportion 135 corresponds to a neutral position where the center ofgravity of the miter saw unit 104 including the support member 103 andthe motor housing 105 is postitioned directly above the support shaft33.

As the support member 103 is pivoted laterally rightwardly from thestate shown in FIG. 16 or the rotational portion 135 is rotated in thedirection A, the distance between the end portions 158a and 158b of thetorsion coil spring 158 increases as shown in FIG. 18. Therefore, thebiasing force of the torsion coil spring 158 to return the miter sawunit 104 to the neutral position increases as the pivoted angleincreases, so that the operation for laterally pivoting the supportmember 103 as well as the operation for returning the support member 103to the vertical position can be easily and smoothly performed.

On the other hand, when the support member 103 is laterally leftwardlypivoted from the state shown in FIG. 16, or the rotational portion 135is rotated in the direction B, the movement of the miter saw unit 104can be smoothly performed with the aid of the biasing force of thetorsion coil spring 158 in the same direction until the miter saw unit104 reaches the neutral position. As the support member 103 is furtherpivoted, the distance between the end portions 158a and 158b increaseswith the end portion 158a in the clockwise direction engaged by theengaging protrusion and with the other end portion 158b in thecounterclockwise direction engaged by the corresponding lateral surface155b of the stopper member 155. Thus, the biasing force of the torsionspring 158 to return the miter saw unit 104 to the neutral positionincreases as the inclination angle increases, so that the operation canbe easily and smoothly performed as with the case of the rotation in thedirection A.

Returning to FIG. 10, a slide bar 160 which supports the miter saw unit104 is mounted on the upper portion of the support member 103. The slidebar 160 is horizontally slidably movable relative to the upper portionof the support member 103 in the forward and rearward directions. Asshown in FIG. 15, a slide bar support cylinder 161 is integarally formedwith the upper portion of the support member 103. A cylindrical bearing162 is fixedly fitted within the support cylinder 161 and receives theslide bar 160 therewithin. The cylindrical bearing 162 is constructed asan angular ball spline as the first embodiment and includes a pluralityof bearing balls 163 which are partly received within a pair oflongitudinal recesses 164 formed on the outer surface of the slide bar160 and diametrically opposed to each other and which are also partlyreceived within a pair of corresponding recesses (not shown) formed onthe inner surface of the cylindrical bearing 162. A bolt 166 is screwedinto the upper part of the cylindrical bearing 162 and extends upwardlythrough a cover 172, so that the bolt 166 is operable to fix theposition of the slide bar 160.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, a cap 167 is mounted on the rear end of theslide bar 160. A bracket 171 is fixedly mounted on the forward end ofthe slide bar 160. The bracket 171 includes a forked hinge portion 170which vertically pivotally supports a base portion 168 of the miter sawunit 104 through a support pin 169 (see FIG. 10). The cover 172 servesto cover the upper portion of the support member 103 together with thecylindrical bearing 162. Portions of the slide bar 160 exposed to theoutside between the cap 167 and the rear end of the cover 172 andbetween the forward end of the cover 172 and the bracket 171 are coveredby bellows 173 and 174, respectively. The bellows 174 is further coveredby an auxiliary cover 174a.

A compression spring 175 is interposed between the base portion 168 ofthe miter saw unit 104 and the bracket 171 at a position adjacent thesupport pin 169 or the fulcrum point of the miter saw unit 104, so thatthe compression spring 175 normally urges the miter saw unit 104upwardly. The base portion 168 and the bracket 171 include springsupports 176 and 177 so as to receive the corresponding ends of thecompression spring 175, respectively. A bolt 178 is screwed into thespring support 176 of the base portion 168 and extends substantially inthe same direction as the pivotal direction. A stopper 179 is formed onthe spring support 177 of the bracket 171 for abutment of the endportion of the bolt 178 thereon to limit the lower stroke end of themiter saw unit 104. The lower stroke end can be adjusted throughrotation of the bolt 178.

Here, the lower stroke end determined by the bolt 178 and the stopper179 is critical and is adjusted in consideration of the positionalrelationship between the saw blade 215 and the plate 107 when the sawblade 215 is lowered to intrude into the base 102 through the plate 107for normal vertical cutting operation. However, in this embodiment, amechanism is provided for adjusting the lower stroke end of the mitersaw unit 104 to a different stroke end upwardly of the lower stroke enddetermined by the bolt 178 and the stopper 179 (hereinafter called"critical lower stroke end") according to cutting operations to beperformed.

As shown in FIG. 20, a rectangular recess 181 is formed on the rightside surface of the base portion 168. A spring plate 183 is disposedwithin the recess 181 and has a central portion to be resilientlydeformed. A pair of protrusions 180 are formed on the base portion 168at both sides of the recess 181 in the longitudinal direction. A pin 182is mounted on the protrusions 180 and estends therebetween. An arm 185has one end pivotally connected to the pin 182 and has the other endinto which an adjusting bolt 84 screwed. The one end of the arm 185connected to the pin 182 includes a pair of flat surfaces 186 (one shownin FIG. 20) disposed on both sides of the arm 185 and extending inparallel with the longitudinal direction of the arm 185. The flatsurfaces 186 are opposed to each other in a diametrical direction of thepin 182 for abutment on the central portion of the spring plate 183.Through abutment on the spring plate 183, the position of the arm 185 isselectively kept at a first position and a second position where theadjusting bolt 184 is positioned on the side of the support pin 169 withrespect to the pin 182 and is positioned on the side away from thesupport pin 169, respectively. On the other hand, an engaging projection187 is integrally formed with the hinge portion 170 of the bracket 171and is positioned for abutment of the lower end of the adjusting bolt184 thereon when the arm 185 is at the first position and the miter sawunit 104 is vertically downwardly pivoted.

With this construction, when the arm 185 is at the first position, thelower stroke end of the miter saw unit 104 can be determined upwardly ofthe critical lower stroke end, and such stroke end can be adjustedthrough the adjusting bolt 184. On the other hand, when the arm 185 ispivoted from the first position to the second position, the adjustingbolt 184 may not abut on the engaging projection 187, so that the mitersaw unit 104 can reach the critical lower stroke end.

The construction of the miter saw unit 104 is substantially the same asthat of the first embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, the miter sawunit 104 includes a blade case 188 which accommodates the saw blade 215to cover substantially the upper half thereof. The base portion 168 isintegrally formed with the lower portion of the blade case 188. A safetycover 189 is rotatably mounted on the blade case 188 around therotational axis of the saw blade 215 to cover the lower half of the sawblade 215. The safety cover 189 is interlocked with an operational link190 pivotally supported by the bracket. 171 of the slide bar 160 in sucha manner that the safety cover 189 is rotated to uncover the lower halfof the saw blade 215 as the miter saw unit 104 is pivoted downwardly.

As shown in FIG. 12, a gear housing 191 is integrally formed with theblade case 188 on the right side thereof. A spindle 192 on which the sawblade 215 is mounted is supported within the gear housing 191. A bevelgear 193 as a reduction gear is mounted on the spindle 192. The motorhousing 105 is integrally formed with the gear housing 191 and extendsoblique upwardly relative to the blade case 188. The motor 216 disposedwithin the motor housing 105 has a motor shaft 194 which extendsobliquely upwardly relative to the saw blade 215 at an angle of 45° andincludes an end portion having a gear in engagement with the bevel gear193. As shown in FIG. 11, a handle 196 operable by the operator forpivotal movement of the miter saw unit 104 is integrally formed with theupper portion of the motor housing 105 and extends forwardly of themotor housing 105.

The operation of the second embodiment will now be explained. As theoperator pivots the miter saw unit 4 vertically downwardly through thehandle 196, the safety cover 189 is rotated to uncover the saw blade215, so that an operation can be performed to cut a work placed on thebase 102. As with the first embodiment, such a cutting operation mayinclude a normal vertical cutting operation with the saw blade 215maintained to be vertical relative to the base 102, and may include anoblique cutting operation with the saw blade 215 inclined leftwardly orrightwardly relative to the vertical position.

For the normal vertical cutting operation, the rotational portion 135 ofthe support member 103 is kept at the vertical position shown in FIG. 16relative to the support portion 132 of the bracket 131 which is integralwith the turntable 106. The vertical position is determined throughabutment of the stopper pin 145 of the lever 150 of the stoppermechanism 146 on the end portion of the first stopper bolt 142 and isfixed through tightening of the nut 137 by the handle 141. Throughadjustment of the driving amount of the first stopper bolt 142, thevertical position can be properly determined.

At this stage, the work (assuming as an elongated one) is placed on thebase 102 to extend over both the work support tables 112 and 113, andthe lateral position of the work is determined through abutment on thefence 114. On the other hand, the vertical vice device 116 is mounted onthe fence 114 by utilizing appropriate one of the inserting holes 130,and the tightening screw 127 is tightened to fix the work in position.

Subsequently, the operator presses the miter saw unit 104 downwardlythrough the handle 196 against the biasing force of the compressionspring 175 so as to pivot the miter saw unit 104 downwardly around thesupport pin 169. As the miter saw unit 104 is thus pivoted, the safetycover 189 is rotated to uncover the saw blade 215. When the saw blade215 reaches the work, the lower half of the saw blade 215 is completelyuncovered to cut the work. The miter saw unit 104 is further pivoteddownwardly to reach the critical lower stroke end which is determinedthrough abutment of the end portion of the bolt 178 of the base portion168 on the stopper portion 179 of the bracket 171. (The arm 185 of theadjusting mechanism disposed on the right side of the base portion 168is normally kept at the second position shown in the dotted line in FIG.20.) At this stage, the lower part of the saw blade 215 intrudes intothe base 2 through the plate 107 as shown in FIG. 12.

If it is desired to change the lower stroke end of the miter saw unit104 to a position upwardly of the critical stroke end according tochange of kind of cutting operation, or if it is desired to change themost lowered position of the saw blade 215 to a position upwardly of theplate 107, the operator pivots the arm 185 from the second position tothe first position shown by the solid line in FIG. 20 against theresilient force of the spring plate 183, so that the adjusting bolt 184may abut on the engaging projection 187 to prevent further downwardmovement of the miter saw unit 104 before the miter saw unit 104 reachesthe critical lower stroke end. Further, the lower stroke end determinedby the adjusting bolt 184 can be changed by adjusting the screwingposition relative to the arm 185. If it is desired to lower the mitersaw unit 104 to again reach the critical lower stroke end, the operatorpivots the arm 185 from the first position to the second positionagainst the resilient force of the spring plate 183. When the arm 185reaches the second position, the arm 185 is kept at this position by theresilient force of the spring plate 183, so that the adjusting bolt 184may not abut on the engaging projection 187.

The miter saw unit 104 is mounted on the slide bar 160 supported by theupper portion of the support member 103, and the slide bar 160 isslidable in the forward and rearward directions relative to the supportcylinder 161 of the upper portion of the support member 103. Therefore,when the operator loosens the fixing bolt 166 to permit movement of theslide bar 160 relative to the support member 103, and pulls the mitersaw unit 104 forwardly with the handle 196 grasped by his hand, themiter saw unit 104 is moved forwardly through sliding movement of slidebar 160 along the support cylinder 161. Therefore, it becomes possibleto cut a work throughout its width by the forward movement of the sawblade 215 even if the work has a wide width.

The oblique cutting operation with the saw blade 215 pivoted laterallyrelative to the vertical position will now be explained. To change themiter saw unit 104 from the vertical position to the laterally pivotedposition or laterally inclined position, the operator turns the handle141 to loosen the nut 137 so as to permit rotation of the rotationalportion 135 relative to the support portion 132. Then, the operatorpushes the operational knob 148 of the stopper mechanism 146 into therecess 147, resulting in that the stopper pin 145 is moved radiallyinwardly of the support portion 132 not to abut on the end portion ofthe first stopper bolt 142. As described above, at the state of FIG. 16which corresponds to the vertical position of the miter saw unit 104,the moment in the clockwise direction (direction A) is applied to thesupport member 103 because of positioning of the motor housing 105 onthe right side of the miter saw unit 104. Since such moment is greaterthan the moment applied by the biasing force of the torsion coil spring158 in the reverse direction (direction B), the support member 103 isautomatically laterally pivoted in the direction A when the stopper pin145 is released. If such lateral pivotal movement has been once started,the operator may release the pushing force applied to the stopper pin145 through the operational knob 148. Thus, when the pushing force hasbeen released, the stopper pin 145 tends to return to its originalposition by the biasing force of the torsion coil spring 152. However,at this stage, the stopper pin 145 has been rotated to some extenttogether with the rotational portion 135 in the clockwise direction andhas been moved to reach the guide surface 132b of the support portion132 over the stepped portion formed on the mounting portion of the firststopper bolt 142. Therefore, the support member 103 can be furtherpivoted laterally without being prevented by the stopper pin 145.

The above pivotal movement is performed with the handle 196 of the mitersaw unit 104 being held by the operator, and a smaller force is requiredto the operator to hold the miter saw unit 104 since the biasing forceof the torsion coil spring 158 is applied in the direction opposite tothe pivotal movement and increases as the pivoted angle increases.

The pivotal movement of the support member 103 is stopped throughabutment of the stopper member 155 of the rotational portion 135 on thesecond stopper bolt 143 when the pivoted angle reaches an angle of 45°.Then, the operator turns the handle 141 to tighten the nut 137, so thatthe rotational portion 135 is fixed in position relative to the supportportion 132. Thus, the support member 103 is kept at the pivotedposition. The pivoted angle can be appropriately adjusted as desiredthrough adjustment of the screwing position of the second stopper bolt143.

With the support member 103 thus maintained at the laterally pivotedposition, the operator can perform the oblique cutting operation of thework by pressing the miter saw unit 104 downwardly against the biasingforce of the compression spring 175 through the handle 196. The lowerpart of the saw blade 215 extends downwardly from the plate 107 bysubstantially the same distance as the vertical cutting operation asshown in FIG. 12 when the miter saw unit 104 reaches the critical lowerstroke end determined by abutment of the bolt 178 of the base portion168 on the stopper portion 179 of the bracket 171.

Since the motor housing 105 extends rightwardly of the miter saw unit104 and since the fence 114 having the insertion holes 130 for mountingthe vice device 116 thereon is disposed on the same side as thedirection of extension of the motor housing 105, there will be somepossibility that the vice device 116 cannot be used for fixing the workbecause of the presence of the motor housing 105 when the support member104 is at the rightwardly pivoted position. However, with thisembodiment, the holder 115 is mounted on the end portion of the worksupport table 112 disposed on the right side, and the position of theholder 115 is adjustable along the guide member 117. The vice device 116can be mounted on the holder 115 to fixedly press a work W against theholder 115 by tightening the tightening screw 127 as shown in FIGS. 12and 14. The position of the holder 115 is adjustable relative to theguide member 117 according to the length of the work W. Further, sincethe guide member 117 is detachably mounted on the work support table112, the guide member 117 can be removed from the work support table 112if it is not required, so that an improved operability is obtained.

Another oblique cutting operation performed by pivoting the supportmember 103 from the vertical position in the leftward direction or theopposite direction of the above oblique cutting operation will now beexplained. Firstly, the operator turns the handle 141 so as to releasethe rotational portion 135 from the support portion 132 in the samemanner as the above cutting operation. Then, the operator pushes themiter saw unit 104 leftwardly or pivots the support member 103 in thecounterclockwise direction (direction B) in FIG, 16 through the handle196 while the stopper mechanism 146 is kept in position. Although, asdescribed above, the moment of the miter saw unit 104 in the clockwisedirection (direction A) is applied to the support member 103 at thevertical position shown in FIG. 16, substantial part of such moment iscounterbalanced by the biasing force of the torsion coil spring 158 inthe opposite direction. Therefore, a smaller force is required for theoperator to pivot the support member 103. Further, after starting thepivotally movement, the gravity center of the miter saw unit 104including the support member 103 as well as the motor housing 105 soonreaches the position directly above the support shaft 133 of the supportportion 132, or the miter saw unit 104 soon reaches the neutralposition. When the miter saw unit 104 further pivots from the neutralposition, the moment of the miter saw unit 104 including the supportmember 103 is converted to be applied in the counterclockwise direction(direction B) or the pivoting direction. At the same time therewith, thetorsion coil spring 158 applies the force in the opposite direction ofthe pivoting direction and the force of the torsion coil spring 158increases as the pivoted angle increases. Therefore, because of the suchbiasing force of the torsion coil spring 158, during the pivotaloperation, a smaller force is required for the operator to support themiter saw unit 104 through the handle 196 as is the case of therightward pivotal operation. On the other hand, during the pivotalmovement of the support member 103, the stopper pin 145 of the stoppermechanism 146 slidably moves along the abutting surface 132a of thesupport portion 132.

The pivotal movement of the support member 103 is stopped throughabutment of the stopper member 155 of the rotational portion 135 on thethird stopper bolt 144 when the support member 103 has been pivoted byan angle of 45°. Then, the operator turns the handle 141 to tighten thenut 137, so that the rotational portion 135 is fixed in positionrelative to the support portion 132. Thus, the support member 104 ismaintained at the leftwardly pivoted position, and the oblique cuttingoperation can be performed by pressing the handle 196 of the miter sawunit 104 downwardly against the biasing force of the compression spring175. The pivoted angle can be appropriately determined by adjusting thescrewing position of the third stopper bolt 144 as is the case of therightward pivoting operation, and the lower part of the saw blade 215extends into the base 102 from the plate 107 by substantially the samedistance as that of the vertical cutting operation when the miter sawunit 104 reaches the critical lower stroke end.

With the miter saw 101 of this embodiment, as described in connectionwith FIG. 13, a plurality of parallel lines 109 are drawn on the plate107 in the longitudinal direction thereof. As for the miter saw 101 ofthe type as described above, the cut-out recess 107a is not formed onthe plate 107 at the first time but is formed at the working place bycutting the plate 107 by the saw blade 215 through vertical cuttingoperation with the support member 103 positioned vertically relative tothe base 102. For the cutting operation of the work, the positioning ofthe work relative to the base 102 is then performed with reference tothe cut-out recess 107a thus formed in such a manner that the inked linedrawn which may be drawn on the work is positioned to correspond to theposition of the saw blade 215. However, the cut-out recess 107a becomesto have a broader width by the oblique cutting operation with thesupport member 103 laterally pivoted relative to the vertical position.Therefore, it becomes difficult to position the work in such a mannerthat the inked line correctly corresponds to the cutting position by thesaw blade 215 with reference to such broadened cut-out recess 107a. Inthis embodiment, the lines 109 are previously drawn on the plate 107,and therefore, the work can be positioned in such a manner that theinked line exactly corresponds to the cutting position by the saw blade215 with reference to either of the lines 109 if the operator calculatesthe distance between the lines 109 and the cutting position by the sawblade 215 when the cut-out recess 107a is formed at the first time.

(THIRD EMBODIMENT)

A third embodiment of the present invention will now be explained withreference to FIGS. 21 to 25. The construction of the third embodiment isthe same as the second embodiment excepting the mechanism fordetermining the pivotal position of the rotational portion 135 of thesupport member 103 relative to the support portion 132 of the bracket131 of the turntable 106. Therefore, drawings or an explanation for theconstruction other than that concerned with the mechanism fordetermining the pivotal position are omitted. Further, in FIGS. 19 to25, the same parts as the second embodiment are labeled by the samenumeral as the second embodiment and an explanation of the same partsare omitted.

Referring to FIG. 21, a substantially fan-shaped lever 197 is pivotallysupported by the support shaft 133 at a position between the sleeve 136aof the rotational portion 135 and the sleeve 156a of the support portion132. As shown in FIG. 21, an engaging portion 199 is integrally formedwith the outer end of the lever 197 in the counterclockwise direction(direction B) and extends substantially radially therefrom. An engagingprojection 198 is integrally formed with the inner wall of the supportportion 132 and protrudes substantially vertically downwardly therefromfor engagement with the engaging portion 199. A hook portion 201 isintegrally formed with the lateral side of the lever 197 in thecircumferential direction and is disposed adjacent the engaging portion199. The hook portion 201 is bent in the axial direction of the supportportion 132 for engaging one end of a tension coil spring 200. A hookshaft 202 is integrally formed with the rotational portion 135 forengaging the other end of the tension coil spring 200 and extends in theaxial direction toward the support portion 132. As shown in FIG. 21, thehook shaft 202 is positioned on the same level as the hook portion 201of the lever 197 when the support member 103 is at the verticalposition. Further, at the vertical position, the tension coil spring 200biases the support portion 132 in the counterclockwise direction(direction B) in FIGS. 21 and 22 or the direction opposite to the momentin the clockwise direction (direction A) applied by the miter saw unit104. When the support member 103 further pivoted by a small angle in thecounterclockwise direction (direction B) to reach the neutral positionwhere the gravity center of the miter saw unit 104 including the supportmember 103 is positioned directly above the support shaft 133, thebiasing force of the tension coil spring 200 is no more applied to thesupport portion 132 as the case of the second embodiment.

A left stopper bolt 203 and a right stopper bolt 204 corresponding tothe second stopper bolt 143 and the third stopper bolt 144 of the secondembodiment, respectively, are screwed into the support portion 132. Asshown in FIG. 21, the left stopper bolt 203 is displaced in the axialdirection toward the rotational portion 135 relative to the rightstopper bolt 204. A stopper member 205 corresponding to the stoppermember 155 of the second embodiment is integrally formed within thelower part of the rotational portion 135 and extends into the supportportion 132. The stopper member 205 performs the same function as thestopper member 155 to determine the laterally pivoted position throughabutment on either of the end portions of the left stopper bolt 203 andthe right stopper bolt 204.

In this third embodiment, a stopper mechanism 206 utilizing the leftstopper bolt 203 is provided for determining the vertical position ofthe support member 103. The stopper mechanism 206 will now be described.

As shown in FIG. 21, a guide sleeve 208 is integrally formed with thelower part of the rotational portion 135 and is disposed therewithin.The guide sleeve 208 extends in the axial direction and is positionedadjacent the stopper member 205 in the clockwise direction. A stoppershaft 207 having a rectangular configuration in section is slidablyreceived within the guide sleeve 208. An operational rod 209 isthreadably engaged with the forward portion of the stopper shaft 207.The rear end of the operational rod 209 extends outwardly from therotational portion 135 and includes a spherical operational knob 210fixed thereto. A compression coil spring 211 is disposed within theguide sleeve 208 and is fitted around the operational rod 209. Thecompression spring 211 serves to normally bias the stopper shaft 207together with the operational rod 209 in the forward direction. Thus,the stopper shaft 207 is normally kept by the biasing force of thecompression spring 211 at an extended position where the operationalknob 210 abuts on the outer surface of the rotational portion 135. Atthe extended position, a forward portion 207a of the stopper shaft 107serves to abut on the end portion of the left stopper bolt 203 as shownin FIG. 23. The forward portion 207a is enlarged relative to the otherportion of the stopper shaft 207, so that the forward portion 207a abutson the forward end of the guide sleeve 208 when the operator pulls theoperational knob 210 rearwardly against the biasing force of thecompression spring 211 as shown by a dotted line in FIG. 21. The stoppershaft 207 thus retracted may not be interfered with the left stopperbolt 203 as well as a mounting portion 212 of the left side stopper bolt203 when the support member 103 is pivoted. Further, the mountingportion 212 includes a protrusion 212a formed on the side of theclockwise direction thereof and extends in the circumferentialdirection. The function of the protrusion 212a will be explained later.

The operation of the third embodiment will now be explained. When thesupport member 103 is at the vertical position, the engaging portion 199is in engagement with the engaging projection 198 of the support portion132. On the other hand, as described above, the tension coil spring 200biases the rotational portion 135 in the counterclockwise direction(direction B) against the moment of the miter saw unit 104 in theclockwise direction (direction A). At this stage, by the moment of themiter saw unit 104 in the direction A which surmounts the biasing forceof the tension coil spring 200, the forward portion 207a of the stoppershaft 207 abuts on the end portion of the left stopper bolt 203 as shownin FIG. 23, so that the vertical position of the support member 103 isdetermined. The rotational portion 135 is fixed in position relative tothe support portion 132 through turning operation of the handle 141 asis the case of the second embodiment, and the vertical cutting operationcan be performed in the same manner as the second embodiment.

In order to perform the oblique cutting operation with the supportmember 103 pivoted in the rightward direction (direction A), theoperator operates the handle 141 to release the rotational portion 135from the support portion 132. The operator subsequently pulls theoperational knob 210 of the stopper shaft 217 of the stopper mechanism206 rearwardly, so that the forward portion 207a of the stopper shaft207 is moved away from the position for abutment on the left stopperbolt 203. Then, the support member 103 automatically pivots rightwardlyby the moment of the miter saw unit 104 in the direction A. As thesupport member 103 is thus pivoted, the distance between the hookportion 201 of the lever 197 and the hook shaft 202 of the rotationalportion 135 becomes larger, so that the biasing force of the tensioncoil spring 200 in the opposite direction of the pivotal movementincreases as the pivoted angle increases. Therefore, a smaller force isrequired for the operator to support the miter saw unit 104 through thehandle 196. Further, when the support member 103 is thus pivoted, thestopper shaft 207 of the stopper mechanism 206 is moved to a position onthe rear side of the mounting portion 212 in the axial direction.Therefore, when the operator releases the operational knob 210, theforward portion 207a of the stopper shaft 207 abuts on the rear surfaceof the mounting portion 212 and the forward portion 207a slidably movesalong the rear surface as the pivotal movement. Thus, the pivotalmovement of the support member 103 can be smoothly performed withoutbeing prevented by the stopper shaft 207.

The pivotal movement of the support member 103 is stopped when thelateral surface of the stopper member 205 abuts on the end portion ofthe left stopper bolt 203. Then, the operator turns the handle 141 tofix the rotational portion 135 in position relative to the supportportion 132, so that the oblique cutting operation can be performed withthe support member 103 pivoted in the rightward direction. As thepivotal movement occurs, the stopper shaft 207 of the stopper mechanism206 moves beyond the mounting portion 212 of the left stopper bolt 203in the clockwise direction to some extent. However, the projection 212ais formed with the mounting portion 212, and therefore, the forwardportion 207a of the stopper shaft 207 is kept in abutment on theprojection 212a and may not be returned to the extended portion.

For the oblique cutting operation with the support member 103 pivoted inthe leftward direction (direction B), the operator operates the handle141 to release the rotational portion 135 from the support portion 132.The operator then pivots the miter saw unit 104, which is in thevertical position, leftwardly against the moment of the miter saw unit104 with the aid of the biasing force of the tension coil spring 200.The biasing force of the tension coil spring 200 is no more applied whenthe support member 103 is pivoted beyond the neutral position, andthereafter pivotal operation is performed with the operator supportingthe miter saw unit 104 through the handle 196 without the aid of thebiasing force. During the pivotal movement, the stopper shaft 207 of thestopper mechanism 206 passes through the lower space within the supportportion 132 formed between the left stopper bolt 203 and the rightstopper bolt 204. Since there exists no parts in the lower space whichmay prevent movement of the stopper shaft 207, it is not required topull the operational knob 210 of the stopper mechanism 206 for thispivotal operation.

The pivotal movement of the support member 103 is stopped when thelateral surface of the stopper member 205 abuts on the end portion ofthe right stopper bolt 204 as shown in FIG. 25. Then, the operator turnsthe handle 141 to fix the rotational portion 135 in position relative tothe support portion 132, so that the oblique cutting operation can beperformed with the support member 103 pivoted in the leftward direction.

While the invention has been described with reference to preferredembodiments, it is to be understood that modifications or variation maybe easily made without departing from the spirit of this invention whichis defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A miter saw comprising:a base (102) on which awork is placed; a miter saw unit (104) supporting a saw blade (215) andhaving a motor (116) for rotatably driving said saw blade; a supportmechanism pivotally supporting said miter saw unit relate to said basein such a manner that said miter saw unit is at least laterallypivotable; a position determining mechanism for selectively determiningthe lateral position of said miter saw unit (104) at any of a pluralityof positions including a vertical position where said saw blade ispositioned substantially vertically relative to said base, and leftwardand rightward pivoted positions where said blade is inclined laterallyleftwardly and laterally rightwardly from said vertical position by apredetermined angle, respectively; said position determining mechanismincluding a movable side stopper member (207) and a fixed side stoppermember (203), said movable side stopper member (207) being mounted on amovable member (103) which pivots laterally about an axis with saidmiter saw unit (104), and said fixed side stopper member (203) beingmounted on a fixed member (132) which is mounted on said base; and saidmovable side stopper member (207) being operable to move between a firstposition and a second position and being in abutment with said fixedside stopper member (203) when said miter saw unit (104) is at saidvertical position, and said movable side stopper member (207) at saidsecond position being not in abutment with said fixed side stoppermember (203) so as to permit the lateral pivotal movement of said mitersaw unit, said first position and said second position being spaced fromeach other in a direction parallel to the axis about which said mitersaw unit laterally pivots, said movable side stopper member (207)comprising a pin slidably movable relative to said movable member (103).2. The miter saw as defined in claim 1 wherein said position determiningmechanism includes means for adjusting an abutting position at whichsaid movable side stopper member 207) and said fixed side stopper member(203) abut with each other when said miter saw unit is at said verticalposition.
 3. The miter saw as defined in claim 1 further includingbiasing means (211) for normally maintaining said movable side stoppermember (207) at said first position.
 4. The miter saw as defined inclaim 3 wherein said fixed member (132) includes an abutting member(212a) for maintaining said movable side stopper member (207) at saidsecond position against the biasing force of said biasing means (211)when said miter saw unit (104) is once pivoted laterally from saidvertical position after said movable side stopper member (207) is movedfrom said first position to said second position.
 5. The miter saw asdefined in claim 1 wherein said fixed side stopper member (203) is abolt threadably engaged with said fixed member (132); and said bolt hasone end which abuts said pin at said first position with an axis of saidbolt being positioned perpendicular to the axis of said pin.
 6. Themiter saw as defined in claim 5 further including a second movable sidestopper member (205) mounted on said movable member (103), and a secondfixed side stopper members (204) mounted on said fixed member (132),said second movable side stopper member (205) being brought to abut onsaid first-mentioned and said second fixed side stopper members (203,204) when said miter saw unit (104) is at said leftward and rightwardpivoted positions, respectively.
 7. The miter saw as defined in claim 5wherein said movable member (103) has a lower portion and an upperportion, said lower portion is laterally pivotally mounted on said base(102), and said upper portion vertically pivotally supports said mitersaw unit (104).